Procurement Boss Pleads Guilty to DUI

J.W. Lanum, who is in charge of procurement for one of the city's biggest agencies, pleaded guilty last month to a DUI charge. Lanum was sentenced to 30 days' suspended sentence and six months of probation, according to an online docket report.

Emails and calls to Lanum and his boss at the Department of General Services, director Brian Hanlon, were not immediately returned. Police say they arrested Lanum last September after he was found asleep in a running car that was parked illegally outside DGS' headquarters at 14th and U streets NW. Lanum "became irate and started to yell and curse" at a parking enforcement employee who tried to wake Lanum, police say. When police arrived, they say they found an open bottle of cheap wine in the car and that Lanum failed three different sobriety tests. The arrest occurred around 3 p.m. on a Friday.

Lanum initially pleaded not guilty and his case was dropped in January after the city prosecutor was not "ready," according to court records. The Office of the Attorney General refiled the case and Lanum pleaded guilty on March 19, records show.

As head of procurement at DGS, Lanum oversees contracts for a multi-billion-dollar agency that handles much of the city's public construction projects.

He's Allen "Teflon Al" Lew's boy - he should be fired, but he won't be.

They fired the Mayor's nephew/cousin/relative for driving DC Fleetshare cars to MD, they should shitcan ol' JW too

RealDC

LOL. This drunk got popped in the middle of the day for a DUI? Does he still have a job? If so, why?

Man, kick him in his azz and lets hire somebody that is sober.

New motto for DGS... "Drunk and stupid is no way to go thru life" -Dean Wormer.... obvious Lil JW did'nt get the memo.

Typical DC BS

@RealDC: Every time I've ever read about a case like this, especially when that high ranking person is supposed to be "on the job" and they don't get fired for it, I wonder why nobody has asked the mayor what kind of shit this person has on his bosses or why The Post doesn't go into overdrive about a story like this. Unbelievable.

drez

DUI = "Dispersing Under the Influence"?
No? Oh well, than.

Van

Who was the one driving cars to MD?

RealDC

@typicaldcbs-agreed. It is a head scratcher on why these folks get to keep their gigs.

DC needs raise the "STANDARDS" on non-sense like this, getting a DUI on the clock. Geez.

Yes, the mayor, city administrator and agency head need to be questioned about this conduct.

Have anybody heard the city administrator speak? For real? He sounds a mess, wtf? You are in charge of all of the city agencies and he has the communication skills of Pa from the Hill Billy Bears cartoon. SMH. Mumbles and he gets $275K a year..... with a mouth full of mush....only in DC!

Will

One thing that might be going on here, when you work for DC government, there are certain protections you have for various mental illnesses. If he or his attorney filed the right paperwork claiming his alcoholism is a disease for which he's seeking treatment, I don't think they can fire him outright. They could relieve him of duties, but firing under that scenario could open up the city to liability, as crazy as that sounds.

Without knowing more specifics, you can only speculate.

RealDC

Wow, the DC government must be a great place to get a job. You can get your drink on and pass out in a car in front of your place of employment. Become belligerent, fail 3 sobriety tests and get arrested, all while still getting paid.

Now, if your employer fires you, they are liable?? Nice.

At minimum, he should be relieved of his duties. Now, if he is getting treatment, then he should be re-assigned and a performance action plan should be put in place. This cannot happen again.

Interesting that this comes out the day after another media outlet reported an egregious Sole Source award out of this agency on an energy contract. Guess who would have been the Procurement Officer signing off on this?

That's right, ol' JW. Google his name, and you can find that he's had numerous violations for bending the procurement rules over the years. Yet he's left in charge of an agency with a spend in the $billions. That's quality staffing. The guy who was in charge when DGS started at least encouraged people to follow the rules. With JW it's the wild, wild west. Anything goes.

DaShaun Hawkins

Well Well that simpleton JW Lanun finally admitted he is guilty of being a lusch. When will he ever admitt to being a piece of dog sh*t on the curb that turned white? I would like to be the fly on the wall when they escort his Keebler the Elf looking behind out of DGS. The City Council need to FIRE him despite what Lew want let Lew go find another BUTT licker mabe the next one will not be as stupid as JW. What a joke and a discrace that little boy is because he is definatley not no MAN!

KeepIt100

He needs to take advantage of an Employee Assistance Program.

Obviously

Obviously the man needs a lot of spiritual and professional help, along with a lot of rest away from the job.

A bit of info

JW Lanum is not even a DC govt employee, he is a contractor because he was once FIRED from DC government.